Atlantic City, N.J. — Don’t tell Jane Golden that the arts can’t have an impact on a city or community.

The founder and executive director of Mural Arts Philadelphia leads the nation’s largest public arts program with more than 4,000 works created through collaborations with community organizations, city agencies, schools, nonprofits and the private sector. Her story inspired the more than 200 people who attended the third annual Arts and Culture Summit at Stockton University on April 9 and 10.

During its history, more than 25,000 city residents have participated in a Mural Arts Philadelphia program or tour, and more than 250 artists have been employed, Golden said.

“It’s about impacting individuals. It’s about impacting the community and by extension there is a huge impact on the civic life of the city of Philadelphia because we have turned our city into an outdoor museum,” she said. “But it’s a museum that values and respects the citizens. We’re creating work that has true resonance with the people who live here.”

This year’s summit expanded to two days and included events on Stockton’s Galloway and Atlantic City campuses. It kicked off April 9 with the 17th annual Paul Lyons Memorial Lecture by Golden in the Performing Arts Center and continued April 10 with a series of panel discussions culminating in the annual Hip Hop Block Party in Atlantic City’s O’Donnell Park.

“Arts and cultural organizations play a critical role in strengthening our communities, and that creates spaces where people can come together and engage one another and participate in something meaningful,” said New Jersey State Rep. Antwan McClellan, who welcomed Atlantic City attendees on April 10. “And right here at Stockton University, that happens every day. Stockton is not just educating students; they’re actively shaping cultural ecosystems. That reaches beyond the campus and beyond Atlantic County.”

The summit also included panel discussions including “Public Art as Civic Voice,” “Culture as Community Care” and “Creative Practice and Public Health” all centered around this year’s theme of “Culture, Community & Care.”

“This theme speaks directly to who we are and what we believe at Stockton,” said President Joe Bertolino, who remarked how the arts are tied to his Ethic of Care, where everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, kindness, compassion and civility. “The arts play a local role in that work because the arts are a language that goes across all peoples.”

Bertolino added that art has a unique ability to connect us across experiences and perspectives, and it invites us to see the world through someone else’s eyes and recognize a common thread of humanity that binds us together.

“Artists help us make sense of the world. They illuminate stories that might otherwise go unheard, and they create spaces where dialogue can happen, where empathy can grow and where a new idea can take root,” he said. “And where better to do that than at a university.”

Bertolino said the summit was originally created as part of his inauguration three years ago, but it continues to contribute to the local arts community.

“We are proud to be part of the Atlantic County community and to be an Anchor Institution,” he said. “That means being deeply connected to the region, bringing people together and using our collective strength to try and create meaningful change. I think today’s summit helps to do that.”

Supporting the arts isn’t always an easy sell, however. When Golden first started Mural Arts Philadelphia 40 years ago, community planners were skeptical of the benefits that come with outdoor art.

“They were not interested in art. They wanted housing. They wanted jobs, and rightfully so,” she said. “But now, people see art as extremely invaluable in the city of Philadelphia. I’m not saying that everything we do is a panacea for issues that cities struggle with, but I am saying that I’ve been a witness to the powerful catalytic world of art in the life of the city.”

More than 140 public arts projects are completed annually, and more than 141,000 square miles are covered by murals in Philadelphia, Golden said.

Stockton’s summit wrapped up with another new addition in 2026, the Hip Hop Block Party. An annual event presented by Professor Donnetrice Allison’s “Intro to Hip Hop Culture” class, students and performers took over O’Donnell Park across the street from Stockton’s Atlantic City campus.

The block party featured live music, breakdance performers and other games and activities. Allison, who also presented a workshop during the summit titled “From Jazz to Hip Hop,” said this is the second time the block party has been held in the park.

“A lot of early hip hop was about parks and free spaces that you can use rather than people having to pay to get into a club,” she said. “There were mobile DJs who would bring their stuff out and then people could celebrate for free. So, we wanted to re-create that, and the students encouraged the idea of going back to the roots of hip hop in the parks.”

— Story by Mark Melhorn, photos by Susan Allen

Read about previous Arts and Culture Summits

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